Manchester United announce pre-season tour to US

London, March 21 (IANS) Manchester United have announced that they will play in the United States this summer for Tour 2017, in preparation for the 2017-18 football season.

Jose Mourinho’s men will play five games in five cities, including matches in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Santa Clara and Washington DC, it was announced on Monday, reports Xinhua news agency.

In the previous two visits to the US, the club has welcomed more than half a million supporters to games in a country where Manchester United has over eight million followers.

The two-week tour forms part of the club’s preparations for the 2017-18 English Premier League (EPL) campaign, with further details regarding the tour, including opposition teams and venues to be announced in the coming days, the club said.

Manchester United first visited America in 1950 as part of a close season tour, playing against local clubs. The long-standing relationship with the United States has seen the club make a further 14 visits to the country facing American and Mexican sides as well as a host of clubs from across Europe.

Speaking of the club’s summer plans, Manchester United’s Executive Vice Chairman, Ed Woodward, said: “Visiting North America will give the team the best possible preparation for the new season, using top class training facilities and playing in some great stadiums.

“We have witnessed first-hand the passion and support for the club in the US in recent years, so naturally it is something that everybody is very much looking forward to this summer.”